You would expect a Republican president to be keen on decentralisation and giving more power to the state governments. You would certainly expect that of a Republican president who had been governor of Texas for six years before entering the White House. But that wasn't what happened. During the presidency of George W. Bush (2001-2009), federal government spending grew at a rate not seen since the days of President Johnson - and he was a Democrat. Whereas former Republican presidents had arrived in Washington determined to cut federal government bureaucracy, George W. Bush expanded it.

In 1996 Bill Clinton had commented that the era of big government was over. By the end of the George W. Bush administration, it was clear that it was back.